An Extra Life

So, I bought a new laptop bag.

Probably you all figured that's what I'd do. I'm the easy target, the consumer ready to plunk down her credit card for the immediate solution. I did identify a likely repair shop in Denver and nearly left an hour earlier for the airport last Monday to drop it off. Then didn't. I'll drop it off sometime when it's more convenient. Then I'll have a back-up wheelie laptop bag. No, I'm not sending it to McKlein -- they don't get any more of my money ever. Listen hard... do you hear them weeping? No, I didn't think so.

Did I mention my new laptop bag has a lifetime warranty? I can't find the word "limited" on it anywhere. I guess we'll see. Right now it's the new puppy. I bought it in the Charlotte airport, where I remembered seeing it before. So I thought. I remember airports really well when I'm in them again -- I can go right to my favorite shops and restaurants -- not so much in theory, like when I'm planning the trip. However, this time I strongly suspected a shop there had a bag I'd admired. And there it was! They even let me unpack my shoulder laptop bag and put my stuff in the new one. Then they donated my shoulder bag to K-9 training. Presumably to teach them to search laptop carriers for contraband. Not sure how I feel about that bit, but at least it's not in a landfill, I suppose. They had it all set up to make it easy for me.

It's daunting sometimes, to see how well I respond to their targeted marketing. Yes, I pick my connecting flights based on which airports I like. And yes, that often has as much to do with the food, shops and ambience as much as whether I'm likely to be trapped there by bad weather (die, O'Hare, die!). I like Charlotte's white rocking chairs in the atrium (also in the Philadelphia ariport). There's a Body Shop in most airports now, where I can pick up Body Butter on a regular basis. I can even get a manicure or a pedicure in many places if my layover is long enough. Good use of otherwise wasted time, to do something frivolous I usually schedule out.

I can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing. But pursuant to my rant (my mother has accused me of ranting lately) on local merchants, and since today seems to be follow-up-on-previous-topics day, it turns out that the local childrens store DID ostensibly do a registry for my friend. She said they followed her around with a list. So the salesgirl was either lying or ignorant. Bad service, either way.

Maybe this is capitalism at its finest. Give me what I want and need; make it easy for me. I'm happy to give you my money in return.